Slayers Redemption
by InuOtaku911
Summary: Set after "Slayers Evolution-R". Can Luna reunite her family before time runs out?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own "Slayers" okay? You should know this by now.

Hey peoples! Welcome to my shiny new story! Actually the story idea isn't so new. My beta told me her idea for a Luna-centric story a few months ago and wanted me to write it. And so here we are now with "Slayers Redemption"!

Thanks to Naga Shark for letting me write this _and_ beta-ing it too. As with all my stories, please enjoy!

* * *

Luna was determined. She really hadn't wanted to do this, especially since this was her mother's idea, but she was going to finish what she started as she walked the heavily silent streets. Zephilia wasn't supposed to feel so empty, and yet the town was like it had been abandoned decades ago. Everyone stayed holed up in houses, none daring to walk about. And she had only been gone for about a month.

The day it had all gone downhill was as normal as could be. Luna had been working her waitress job as always when suddenly people began fainting. At first she thought something was wrong with their food, seeing as it was only one or two people, but then people out on the streets were collapsing too.

"Move!" Luna ordered the swarm of concerned pedestrians who had flocked over the unconscious. Now with a clear path, she picked up one of the bodies, a young boy who was panting and sweating.

"Help me get them to Saliman's!" The stander-bys nodded and each carried one of the fallen, lest they wished to face Luna.

Doctor Nathaniel Saliman, a tall man of 30-odd years, was the local physician. He lived by himself now, having lost his wife some years before to pneumonia, which is what prompted him to go into medicine.

The group arrived at his residence and put each of the unconscious in a bed. As soon as they where placed in the doctor's care, Luna left to return to her job. Their safety didn't matter one way or the other to the knight, but she knew if she hadn't at least helped she would never hear the end of it from her parents.

The rest of her workday was extremely uneventful, like people were deliberately avoiding the area. On her way home at the end of the day, the whispers did not escape her. Rumors were flying through the air like golden dragons about the people who fainted out of the blue.

The next day found the conclusion of the mystery: supposedly they were all victims of heat stroke. The explanation seemed to calm the populace, but Luna smelled something fishy. It was only logical that the cause was untrue-there was no way a dozen people could collapse at the same time because of heat stroke. Anyone with half a brain could figure that out, she thought. Still, it wasn't her job to get involved in things like this, so she didn't. She did as she always did-get up, go to work, come home, do chores, rinse and repeat the next day.

Not exactly the lifestyle one would think of when thinking of the Knight of Ceiphied, but no one dared argue that with Luna.

* * *

"Have you heard about those poor people Luna? The ones that collapsed the other day?" Luna nodded, ignoring her mother's rambling otherwise like always.

"So unfortunate, those poor souls, don't you think so?" Lana Inverse continued, looking at her daughter. Again, Luna nodded and continued about her business which was, at the moment, preparing dinner. Lana pursed her lips and said, "I heard that a traveler came into town today and he needs a place to stay. What do you think about letting him stay here? I heard he's quite the looker."

Luna finally turned to her mother. "Nice try Oka-chan." Lana smiled at her innocently and let her return to her work. At that moment a frantic knocking came from the front door. Luna paused as Lana nearly flew to the door. She heard the click of the door being pulled open and a person's harried breathing.

"Kotoko, what is it?" she heard her mother ask. "Did something happen?"

"Its your husband."

"Did he try to attack that "troll" again?" Lana sighed in exasperation. "I keep trying to tell him-"

"No, it's not that."

"Then what?" The room fell silent and Luna was about to return to the food when Kotoko spoke up again. "The other men found him collapsed. They say he looked just like the others that fainted the other day. He's at Saliman-sensei's house right now." The room again fell silent.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. I'm sure of-Luna the food!" Luna was suddenly hit with the smell of burning food, black smoke wafting up to the ceiling. She quickly grabbed the pot and thrust it under the faucet, blasting the ruined food with water. She glanced over at her mother.

"Why don't I make dinner today?" Lana offered. "Kotoko, would you like to join us?" Their guest declined the offer and left. Luna went to her room and grabbed one of her books at random. She went back to the kitchen, welcomed by the scent of cooked meat. Luna sat down at the table and opened her book, but paid no attention to the words. Silence settled between the two women, both minds occupied with the same thought.

Lana plated their meals and seated herself at the table. Luna snapped her book closed and took her plate, still not saying anything to her mother. The meal continued like that for several minutes.

"...I'm going out tonight Luna. I trust you can watch the house?" Lana said all of a sudden.

"Hai," Luna responded. She knew Lana was going to see her father. "I'm not a kid anymore Oka-chan." A somber look passed over Lana's face and she stood up. She deposited her dishes in the sink and left the room. A couple minutes passed and Luna heard her mother's footsteps and the door open and close. She was alone.

Luna didn't let it bug her. Why should it? Her parents were completely capable of taking care of themselves, so why should she waste time worrying about her father?

Like any other night, Luna gathered up the dishes and washed them before retiring to her room. She blew a few strands of lavender hair away from her face as she reopened her book. She tried to concentrate on the words, but couldn't stop a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that something wasn't right. That something was not as it seemed.

Unable to concentrate, Luna shut her book and turned off the light. She lay in the dark until sleep engulfed her.

* * *

Light blazed into life and seeped under Luna's shut eyelids. She quickly pushed herself up and looked for the source.

"Good, you're up," Lana said, a lit candle in her grip. She tossed a bundle of clothes at her daughter. "Hurry up and get dressed. You're going on a trip." Luna quirked an eyebrow at her mother, noting the absence of her almost perpetual smile.

"And exactly where am I supposed to go?"

"You're going to find your sister." Rage suddenly flared up in Luna.

"Why the hell should I?" she asked in an icy tone. Lana looked at her, half glaring and half exasperated.

"Are you still sore over those pictures. It's been years and its time you got over it." Luna sat seething on her bed as Lana continued. "I've talked to your manager already. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea at first, but I convinced him to let you go." Luna's anger flared again. She looked at her mother suspiciously.

"This has something to do with Otou-chan," Luna accused. Lana didn't reply, but that was all the answer Luna needed.

"See me in the kitchen before you go," Lana said and she left it at that. She exited the room to give her daughter her privacy. Luna scowled and held out the clothes for a better look at them.

* * *

"Where did you get these?" Luna questioned as she walked into the kitchen.

She was dressed in a long, white dress that hugged her figure. The hemline stopped just above her feet and was split up one side to her thigh, revealing light blue long pants underneath. The dress's sleeves billowed around her wrists, blue bands circling the sleeves' hems. The dress ended at her chest so that a small amount of cleavage showed. A deep blue cloak was clasped at Luna's collarbone, a thin brown belt wound around her waist twice, hanging there loosely, and white boots covered her feet.

"They were mine," Lana replied, a small grin on her face. "I am an ex-sorceress, remember? Now I'm giving them to you." She held up a small bag, two drawstrings holding it closed. "I've packed you some supplies for your trip." Luna took the bag from her mother and peered inside. She slung the bag over her shoulder and gazed at Lana. The stern look on her face told Luna there was no getting out of this.

"Fine." was all she said as she headed for the door. Arms encircled her waist from behind.

"Have a safe journey, Luna," Lana said. Luna nodded and pulled herself away and walked out the door. The sun was just peering over the horizon, staining the sky with red and orange.

Luna made her way through town, watching shops begin to open for the day. As she walked, she heard people's whispers. Apparently, someone overheard Saliman-sensei yesterday, saying he believed the fainting could possibly be the revival of the Durum sickness. Others believed that it really was just heat stroke. Luna tuned them all out and kept walking.

Once she got to the edge of town, she put her fingers to her lips and let out a sharp whistle. Almost immediately came a wolf-like creature bounding toward her. He was dressed in gloves, shoes, dark blue pants, a blue shirt with a red collar, and two hearts attached to a band on his head.

"You're slow," Luna said. The wolfish creature scowled at her and they began walking away from Zephilia.

"What's with the get-up?" he asked.

"We're going on a trip Spot." His eye twitched at the name.

"Where are we going?" She brushed her bangs away from her eyes.

"We're going to find my little sister."

* * *

(A/N) How's that to start it off? I can't believe I almost forgot about "Spot"(sweatdrop). Anyway, please read and review! Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or the franchise's characters, yada yada and all that other junk the lawyers make me say.

Okay, I realize that you people are more than likely ticked off at me, to say the least, and probably have a few choice words that would be rude of me to repeat, and quite rightfully so. I honestly don't know why this took so long for me to finish, or just writing in general, I'd probably chalk it up to the stress I've been going through recently. Still, at least you should all know(if you read it that is) that I am working on "Anything Goes Dragon Slave", and I'm hoping to have it up in the next week or two.

Well, now that that's been said, the show must go on! Introducing chapter 2 of "Slayers Redemption!"

"..." normal speech

_'...' thoughts_

* * *

"Hey there sweetie!" Luna sighed; this was getting very old, very fast. She didn't even bother turning around to greet the owner of the male voice. Instead, she opted to reach inside the pack hanging off her shoulder.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing all alone in the woods out here?" the arrival leered at her, sweeping his gaze across Luna's figure. The man, revealed to be a tall, greasy looking fellow(not to mention he smelled very strongly of booze), quickened his pace to cut into her path. Her stony expression didn't even twitch.

"How about you and me-" Luna didn't let him finish. She pulled her hand out of her bag, tossed something to the ground, and disappeared.

"What the hell?" the thug mumbled. His eyes widened as a chill breeze overcame his body. Luna reappeared and picked up the object she dropped. The thug looked at her dumbly and a glint of light in her hand caught his gaze; this broad had a kitchen knife.

"How long are you going to stand there like that?" Luna asked him flatly.

"Like what?" he replied dully. She raised an eyebrow at him, an expression that said to him "Wow you're stupid". The breeze picked up and he crossed his arms to try and regain some heat, when he finally realized the problem: he was now naked.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed. He quickly tried to cover up his important bits and turned to look at the woman responsible. There was just one other problem-she wasn't there anymore.

* * *

"That's, what, number seven to hit on you?" Dil-er, Spot, asked. He knew he wouldn't get much of an answer from her, he didn't even really care what it would be. He just felt a need to break the silence that had accumulated since they left Zephilia. Which had been...five hours. _'This is going to be a long road trip.'_

As expected, all she offered was a nod in return. Undeterred, he continued with "Maybe it would help if you ditched the get-up. Where'd you find that thing anyway?"

"My mother." Spot raised an eyebrow, but didn't press the issue. If she wanted to dress like a cleric or something, that was up to her.

"So just what are we looking for anyway and where do you plan to find it?" he asked instead.

"My younger sister. Our first stop is Elmekia." His eyebrows shot up as his eyes widened immensely. In the time they had spent together, the only mentions he had heard of Luna having a sister was in sparse comments made by her mother or father. All Spot knew about her was that she was younger than Luna and that something happened between the two, aspiring to be the best mage ever, and a hell of a spitfire.

_'Her sister? I wonder what her name is?'_ Spot pondered as they walked. _'Hmm, her last name must be Inverse, but the search won't go well unless we both know her first name. The only problem with that,'_ he thought, casting a wary look at his partner, _'is I'm afraid of what she might do if I asked. She obviously doesn't like speaking about her, so it looks like I may be on my own to figure out her name._

_'So...how am I supposed to do that?'_ he thought, frustrated already. His mind flashed through past memories of his old life. The image of his last mission regarding the Red Priest came to mind, in particular his target. _'...There's no way,'_ he instantly rejected the notion that the redheaded torment that was Lina could be the little sister of stoic knight Luna. _'Besides, who in their right mind names their kids with such similar names? And there's also another factor...'_ He cast what he hoped was a casual, inconspicuous glance at Luna's chest. He mentally compared the image to the figure of Lina.

_'...nope. It just doesn't fit,'_ he confirmed. Spot scowled fiercely. _'But still, the last names are the same. That's the only thing that matches up.'_ He resigned himself to his fate and prayed she didn't react badly. _'Looks like I'll have to ask her directly to settle this.'_

He looked up at her directly in her eyes and began to ask "...so, what's-"

"If you must know, her name is Lina," she abruptly interrupted. He shrunk back and hastily returned his gaze to the road ahead.

_'I hate it when she does that!'_ he mentally exclaimed, shuddering on the inside. But then he paused. _'Wait, she said her name is Lina...maybe its another Lina Inverse'_ he tried to convince himself.

"Oh really?" he said in a casual, confident voice. "What's she look like?" Luna arched an eyebrow at him.

"I haven't seen her in several years, so I don't know what she looks like currently." He gave a small breath of relief. "I would say she is still short, small chest, long orange hair, and red eyes." He quickly recovered from nearly faceplanting into the ground and started sweating under his fur.

_'It is her. It really is that little demoness.'_ A plan began formulating in his head; all he had to do was figure out how to get away from Luna and he would never have to face her sister ever again. But then he paused. _'Wait a minute, why should I escape? This is the perfect oppertunity!'_ A new plan came into creation, one that ended in much more satisfaction than his last: revenge.

Luna looked at the bordering-on insane look on her pet's face, but almost immediately dismissed it. What he was thinking was none of her concern, all she had to do was find her stupid little sister and drag her back home whether she wanted to or not. Luna could handle her in the past, so how difficult could this be?

* * *

The next two weeks were incredibly lackluster, the only break in monotony the men who dared approach Luna, one who even had the gall to ask her to bare his child. For several hours after that event, travelers going by that road could see a man with only a shirt, his hands tied behind his back, and covered in thin red cuts. The only reason she left him the shirt was to hang him up high on a tree by the back of it.

As they traveled, the area surrounding them became noticeably less green and it was slowly growing hotter as they neared the desert.

"So, what's our plan of attack?" Spot questioned her one night by the campfire. They were currently half a day's travel from the nearest town into the country. Luna had almost insisted on continuing through the night to reach the town sooner, but then Spot reminded her how many poisonous creatures came out at night. When that hadn't convinced her and night fell, temperatures immediately dropped. She stopped and had agreed to listen to reason.

"We will enter town and replenish our supplies. You will stay by my side. I don't want you scaring any of the citizens."

_'Me scare them?'_ he thought wryly. _'That's rich; this coming from the woman that left a guy naked in tears up in a tree.'_

"We will interview the townspeople if they have seen Lina and if so how long ago it was. We will start with the most populated areas and move onwards from there. Depending on how long the search needs, we will rent a room from the local inn," she finished.

"Finally!" he sighed. "All this camping is getting ridiculous. A bed would be much appreciated." She sharpened her gaze at him, shutting him up instantly.

She wasn't bothered by the camping. In the training she took for her knighthood, she had been through much worse, so she didn't know what he was complaining about. Anything was fine with her so long as she found her annoyance and returned home as swiftly as possible.

* * *

The hustle and bustle they found in the desert city was rather quite surprising. The atmosphere was incredibly hot and yet people still found more than enough energy for everyday activities. Not to mention the marketplace this particular day was packed to the brim, adding even more to the heat.

Luna noted that the people were mostly deeply tanned with dark hair, with the odd few having light skin and nearly golden hair. The information didn't hold much importance at the moment, but information was still information, which meant it would be handy someday.

The duo set about their task, purchasing supplies while questioning anyone who would listen about Lina's whereabouts. For several hours, they saw few results. The majority of the answers they had been given merely consisted of Lina's infamous attitude and nicknames. If Spot had expected to see Luna get angry at someone calling her younger sister the "Queen of Destruction", he would have been sorely disappointed. She gave no indication to what went through her mind, as per usual.

With supplies in hand, they made the decision to find a restaurant for lunch. Well, Luna declared they needed lunch and started searching for a restaurant and Spot followed behind her.

This place she found had a bar set up in the back, but she stowed that information away for later. Food first, then investigation. Interrogation would go better after a full stomach. She "requested" to the maitre'd that Spot be allowed in, as he had become quite scared when a full-grown wolf entered the restaurant. It had taken some "persuasion", but he had eventually relented. He placed her nervously at a table with a single chair and waited until she ordered to flee to the safety that was the kitchens. She ordered two steaks, one for her and one for Spot, and a glass of red wine for herself.

Spot lay under the table in wait for his meal, as he had been taught since he had been taken under Luna's wing, when a loud, screeching noise pierced his skull. He shot up, narrowly missing the underside of the table and saw a very...interesting woman, to say the absolute least, standing in the entrance.

The first thing he and everyone else noticed was that she was _gifted_. Very _graciously_ gifted. So gifted in fact, that her gifts bounced as she strutted into the restaurant. Next, was the fact that she was wearing what looked like a masochistic bikini. It covered very little and was accompanied by huge spiked shoulder guards. Every other detail about this woman just blew past his mind, as he was still hung up on the first two and her piercing laugh.

"Waiter!" she commanded, plopping herself in a table near the bar, "I'll have two of everything on the menu and please make it snappy!" Spot's and everyone else's, sans Luna, jaws fell wide open. The waiters were able to collect themselves first and moved quickly to get her order filled.

Luna paid the newcomer no attention, as in the next minute her order arrived. She focused on only that to finish quickly so she could continue her mission. She stood, finished, as Spot was still eating. She motioned for him to stay and made her way to the bar. In her experience, bartenders were often the ones with the most knowledge in a town. Everybody came to them, and so all rumors and facts made their way into bars. If Lina had been through this place at all recently, this man was Luna's best bet.

She took a lone seat up at the bar and waited for the bartender to come to her.

"Hi there sweetie, what can I do ya for?" he asked her as he polished a spare glass. After all the comments she had gotten from the start of her journey, she would have sent a knife into him if it hadn't been for the honesty in his voice. He was just asking her a question and trying to be hospitible.

"I need information." The bartender blinked and set down the glass.

"Sure thing, what d'ya want to know?"

"Has Lina Inverse passed through this town recently?" She heard a curious hum sound behind her and a pair of eyes burning holes in her back.

"Lina Inverse, huh? Can't say I recall anybody 'round here with a name like that," he commented.

"Perhaps you would better know her as the 'Enemy of All Who Live'." Now there was a muffled snort behind her and then like somebody trying not to choke. The bartender tensed and his expression grew fearful.

He shrank behind the bar a bit. "Her? You're trying to find her of all people? Are you mad or somethin'?"

"No," she answered simply. "Has she been around here or not?"

"Not that I've heard," he replied, raising back up a bit. When Luna got up to leave, he rushed and said "But I do know where she's been."

Luna stopped herself. "Go on," she ordered.

"From what I hear, she's been seen a lot around Saillune City." The same person behind her stifled a gasp and Luna could hear silverware being dropped. "Don't know why for certain, but in the past few years she's been there whenever something bad starts to happen. Other than that, I've heard she stops by every few months or so."

"Thank you for your time," she said politely and got up to leave. The bartender shook his head in confusion at her leaving figure, shrugged his shoulders, and moved on to cut off his clearly drunk customer at the other end of the bar. Luna returned to the table, placed several bills on the table, and grabbed her bags.

"Spot, let's go." He snapped to attention, this time managing to whack his head on the table. Grumbling and rubbing the sore spot, he trotted after her out of the restaurant.

"What'd the guy say?" he asked.

"She hasn't been here, but we might be able to catch her in Saillune."

"So, are we going straight there or what?" Luna remained silent for a moment.

"We'll stay here the night. It's too late in the day to make any moves. Afterward, we'll make our way to the border and travel along it for a while and see if we can catch her. Saillune City will be our next destination if not." Spot nodded, pleased he would still be getting a bed for the night.

"And what do we do about our little spy here?" he questioned loudly. The duo stopped and spun around, Spot glaring and Luna with a stern yet bored expression. The loud woman from the restaurant smiled feebly, still crouching behind a shop sign.

She sprang forward and cleared her throat, shouting "So, you caught me after all! You must be very skilled indeed to catch Naga the Serpent!"

"It wasn't hard, you weren't hiding that well," Spot muttered, but the woman ignored him.

"So," she began to walk towards them, head held high, "I hear you've been looking for Lina Inverse. Might I ask why?"

"No. It is none of you business," Luna answered sharply. Spot smirked; _'Short, simple, and cutting as always.'_

Naga opened her mouth widely, looking highly offended by her answer. "None of my business? I'll have you know that I personally know Lina Inverse!"

"Oh really?" Spot asked sarcastically.

"Of course! She is my strongest and foremost rival! OHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOH!" she declared with a hand held in front of her mouth. She then realized that Luna and Spot were walking away from her. "Hey wait! Where are you going!"

"Anywhere you aren't," Spot answered for the duo.

She continued to follow them for the rest of the day, though they somehow managed to lose her before they reached their inn for the night. Finally free from that terrible piercing voice, Spot curled up in the dog bed that had been set up for him and sank into slumber as Luna remained awake to figure out how to leave the city without attracting their new shadow.

* * *

They left early the next morning, while the sun was just coming up and most of the city was still asleep. They were able to travel about ten minutes in silence when suddenly-

"Hey! Wait for me!"

"Oh L-sama not again," Spot muttered under his breath. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Naga bounding up behind them, armor bouncing and coming dangerously close to poking an eye out.

"What do you want now?" Luna demanded, arms crossed under her chest as she glared at the panting woman before her.

"I told you, Lina's my rival!" Naga cried as if that explained everything. When she realized that it hadn't, she said "There's something I need to settle with her, so I'm coming with you to find her!" Luna's glare sharpened further, the warmth in her eyes reaching absolute zero. She reached a hand for the knife she now carried on one of her belts and somehow seemed to reach Naga's personal space in a single step.

"I don't care who you are or what you think. I don't need you slowing me down or hindering my mission in anyway. You will leave us alone and that is final."

"But-" Naga began to protest. Luna placed the tip of her knife under Naga's chin and applied just enough pressure to break the skin.

"I said no." Naga pouted. Then she noticed something warm trickle down her throat and swept her gaze down at the knife. Her face paled as she saw a thin red river travel down the length of the blade.

Spot wasn't paying much attention at this point, simply waiting for his partner to finish with the annoyance so they could be on their way. He was used to the way Luna handled things, so he saw no need to step in now.

That's when he heard the sound of a body hitting the ground. He turned to see Luna's now bloody knife and Naga on the ground with blood on her throat.

"Don't tell me you killed her?" he exclaimed. "She was annoying and all, but you shouldn't-"

"I didn't," she interrupted, taking out a cloth to wipe her weapon. "She took one look at the blood on my knife and passed out."

"Oh. So what do we do now?" Luna stared at the scantily clad body. She reached down, wiped the blood from her throat, and hoisted Naga onto her back.

"We're going back to the village. We can't leave her out here like this."

"Fine." The two started the trek back in silence, until Spot piped up saying "Can we just leave her there?" Luna didn't answer him, but he hoped, for the sake of his eardrums, she was considering it.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it, folks. Betcha didn't expect to see Naga show up here, didja? Also, before I forget, if anyone would like to argue Luna's or Spot's characterizations here, I would like to remind you that for Luna at least I'm starting on an almost completely blank slate. All I know about her is what's been said in the anime and the first seven novels, and that isn't much. As for Spotty, I do know what he was like with Zel and the ganag way back when, but you need to remember that he's now been living with Luna for several years. I'm not going to say exactly what happened during those years, but if he seems different from canon, that's why.

Alrighty then everybody, guess that's it for this time around. As always, thanks bunches to my wonderful beta and this fic's originator Naga Shark. And seeing as I almost got this up on his birthday, I'd like to say happy(late) birthday to my big bro!

As always, reviewing is much appreciated and always serves to make my day. See you all next time. Ja ne~


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